‘Telekung’ trader aims to help those in need
KUALA LUMPUR: Ramadan is a time when Muslims try to be more charitable, as good deeds are more handsomely rewarded during the holy month than in any other month of the year.
Apart from distributing alms to the poor, orphans and other needy people, the practice of making wakaf (endowments) to a religious, educational or charitable cause is also common during the fasting month.
Entrepreneur Siti Hajar Harun, 45, and some of her friends have started a project to donate telekung, the attire worn by Muslim women during prayers, to needy groups.
They hope to donate over 100 telekung to single mothers and poor women in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor this Ramadan.
“My friends and I are always thinking about what help we can offer in the form of endowments that provide lasting benefits,” said Siti Hajar, who owns an online telekung wholesaler and supplier business.
She and her friends have donated telekung from time to time over the last two years. So far, they have endowed more than 1,000 telekung to mosques, surau, single mothers and poor communities.
Their main objective is to ensure that needy Muslim women get to wear good-quality and syariah-compliant telekung.
Siti Hajar sells the prayer attire at cost price to those who wish to donate them to needy groups.
“For example, the selling price of each telekung from one of my exclusive range is RM289, but those wishing to endow it to others only need to pay RM110,” she added.
Her telekung range comes with her trade- marked pockets, which are convenient for women praying at mosques and surau as they can keep valuables such as money, watches and smartphones in the pockets while praying.
The distribution of all the donated telekung will begin in the third week of Ramadan.
In order to ensure that they go to the target groups, Siti Hajar’s team will work closely with mosque and surau committees, as well as non-governmental organisations.
Besides telekung, they will also be donating essential household items to the needy.
“We just want to share whatever we have with those who are less fortunate. We have no other intention other than seeking God’s blessings,” said Siti Hajar.
She and her team members also take turns to wash the telekung donated to mosques and surau by individuals and companies.
“We send them to the laundry shop on a monthly basis. Keeping the telekung in good condition helps them last longer,” she said.
Siti Hajar came up with the idea of producing pocket-fitted telekung after her handbag was stolen as she prayed at a mosque in Gombak, Selangor, in 2014.
“At first, I had one sewn for my personal use, but when others saw me wearing it, they asked me where they could get one,” she said.